The Massachusetts Marine Trades Association named Randall Lyons as executive director.
He succeeds Nathalie Grady, of Framingham, who recently left the MMTA for a new job.
Randall has more than 20 years of marine industry experience. He worked for the Nantucket Boat Basin for 10 years, for Russo Marine for one year, and most recently for the Newburyport Marinas for the past 10 years.
Randall has been well known in the MMTA for more than eight years, starting out as founder of the “Stay Local Boat MA” transient referral program in 2009. The MMTA continues to run that program today.
He has also been on the board of directors for more than five years, most recently as second vice president, before leaving the board to accept a position working for the MMTA earlier in the year.
In 2012 Randall was awarded the designation of certified marina manager from the Association of Marina Industries.
In 2016 he focused on a new initiative to get more children on the water to bolster the sustainability of the boating industry. He created the Merrimac River Youth Boating Task Force and created a new committee within the MMTA to focus on kids in boating. This initiative and focus will remain one of his main objectives for the association going forward.
“I am excited for the opportunity to represent a strong and vibrant, long-standing association as the executive director,” Lyons said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the board and our association members to grow the boating industry for many generations to come.”
“We look forward to working with Randall in pursuit of the association’s goals, and also wish to thank him for his enthusiasm going forth toward elevating awareness, education and legislative involvement for the Massachusetts marine Industry,” MMTA president Paul Nowak said.
